Tiger Cubs to host perfect '73 team at homecoming on Friday
With a 4-1 record this season and a trip to the sectional finals last year, the Greencastle football team is on pace to earn a page in the school's history books. But it won't be page one.
That spot belongs to the undefeated 1973 team that finished the season 10-0 and allowed just 3.6 points per game.
The only perfect team in Greencastle's history will be honored at halftime of the North Putnam game on Friday night as part of the Tiger Cubs' homecoming festivities.
Rick Wokoun, a junior center on that team, said he is excited to be part of the special ceremony.
"We are extremely proud to have the only GHS football perfect season," he said. "We had great coaches and the best managers, cheerleaders, band and fans in the whole world. ... It'll be very nice for those of us who can make it back. I certainly hope that those guys and girls that are in the Greencastle area will show up and we'll have some fun."
The '73 team will be joined on the field by the 25th anniversary team from 1988, but both teams will watch game by the GHS team that doesn't have much in common with its roots.
Coach Josh Buis's current squad will run the ball between the tackles, but the offense spends much of the game in a shotgun formation with three or four receivers split wide. The '73 squad, coached by Gary Cassells and assisted by Richard Crawley, John Riggs, Dan Layton and John Lanie, did things a little differently.
"We threw some passes, but not a bunch," Wokoun said. "Mostly it was just a power running team. The backs would break a few big ones, but mostly we'd just beat people up."
With a little admitted bias, Wokoun said the offensive line was a strength of that time. It didn't have nearly the size of this year's massive group -- even after studying film all week, the South Putnam players and staff, like most opponents, were astonished by the Tiger Cubs size during last week's game -- but it had just as much effort.
Running backs Kim Jones (1,010 yards), Bill Jeffries, fullback Stacey Spender and John Allee (a transfer from North Putnam, this week's opponent and 1973's week-one matchup) were the stars of the team that won games by an average margin of 26.4 points per game.
Much like the 1972 Miami Dolphins in their perfect season, the Tiger Cubs turned to their second-string quarterback after the starter was injured.
Kent Frazier started the last four games for Randy Jones and the team didn't miss a beat. After clinching the Western Indiana Conference after week nine, GHS won at the Brazil Red Devils' home field for the first time in school history in week 10.
They weren't all blowouts--the Tiger Cubs won in overtime against Plainfield in week five and against Schulte in week nine--but many more were decided by huge margins.
The 34-2 win against NPHS opened the season; there was also the 48-0 win over Linton, the 28-0 win over Clinton and the 31-0 win against Sullivan.
The most dominant win -- and oddly the one that taught Wokoun the most important life-lesson -- was an 84-0 win at North Central.
"Those guys never quit," he said. "They just kept playing and had great attitudes. After that game we got a very good lesson in sportsmanship.
"... The coaches from North Central came into our locker room and invited all the players, coaches and managers to come to the cafeteria because the families of the guys on their team had a made dinner for everybody. We cleaned up as best we could, went to their gym and their guy could have cared less about having just lost a big game. They were more interested in being good hosts.
"They wished us well for the rest of the year and for us it was just a reminder that there might be some things that are more important than football. I don't know what they are, but those guys were just the epitome of class."
Greencastle finished the season undefeated but was left out of the invitation-only eight-team playoffs.
Like the North Central team, Greencastle will offer dinner to its guests on Friday. A pregame chili supper starts at 5 p.m. with the game scheduled for 7 p.m.
Players, coaches, managers and cheerleaders from the '73 team are invited to check at the gate by 6 p.m. Alumni from as far as California and Florida are expected to be on hand.
For more information about Friday's event or the '73 team, visit the group's Facebook page at Greencastle High School 1973 Football Perfect Season.